Filed under: Hybrid , Europe , Technology , Hatchback , Toyota , Electric With the Toyota Prius plug-in set to launch in early 2012 , now’s the perfect time to dive into the interim results from the cars’ trials in London. Here are some details straight from Toyota : Average journey distance has been 7.3 miles, with 59 percent of all journeys covering between 3.1 and 12.4 miles Average speed has been 17.7 miles per hour, with 69 percent of journeys at speeds less than 18.6 mph Initial fuel consumption data indicates performance is 27 percent better than an equivalent diesel Average recharging time is 72 minutes Where drivers have access to a domestic charge point, more frequent recharging occurs Twenty-two percent of drivers have even been able to drive further than the official 12.5-mile range in EV mode. Electric-powered driving so far has accounted for one third of all miles driven in the PHEV demonstration. Working in partnership with EDF Energy, Toyota leased 20 third-generation Prius plug-ins to London-based businesses and organizations to monitor vehicle performance and recharging patterns. Details of journey times, speeds, distances, fuel usage and recharging habits have been logged and analyzed to compile useable data. The three-year trial kicked off last summer, meaning that these interim results are from less than one year of real-world use. Continue reading Toyota says Prius plug-in is “27-percent better than an equivalent diesel” Toyota says Prius plug-in is “27-percent better than an equivalent diesel” originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Filed under: Hybrid , Technology , Toyota , Electric Plug-in Prius Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery Toyota has been showing off its plug-in hybrid Prius since it debuted in concept form at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show . The Japanese automaker is getting ready to deliver the 2012 production version, and we just found out that it will have some significant changes over the prototype versions we’ve seen so far. The 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle boasts two unique features; a selectable EV driving mode, and the ability to apply recaptured energy to the electric-only driving range. The selectable EV driving mode will be quite useful for trips requiring the use of a highway or that cover longer distances than simple in-town errand running. This will allow Prius PHEV drivers to conserve energy for electric-only jaunts. A button will allow you to turn the EV mode on or off. Any run-of-the-mill Prius hybrid uses regeneration to replenish the battery. In the protoptye PHEVs, no more energy can be recaptured and stored for later use than the regular non-plug-in model. That means there was no way to extend EV-only range without plugging back in. On the production version of the Prius PHEV, the car will be able to take advantage of that regenerated energy, and extend the time the car can spend in EV mode.